JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Library is hosting weekly events through July to coincide with this year’s Summer Reading Program “Reading takes you everywhere.”
During the bi-weekly cultural events, children will receive free crafts to do on-site and observe presentations by different artists highlighting areas of the world every other week. Other weeks, family game nights are scheduled and a take-home craft will be available.
The reading program also offers the opportunity to collect prizes for time spent reading. Through July 27, participants can submit minutes read through the online database.
“The program is for everybody who wants to participate,” said Jody Evans, JBER Library reference librarian. “It’s available for adults, teens, children and also children who are too young to read, but are read to.”
The goal every year is to keep children reading over the summer to prevent reading skills from being lost, Evans said.
“We tried to be creative with this year’s events, bringing in musicians and giving it a cultural theme,” Evans said. “For example, on June 20 we are having a special performance (by Tomodachi Taiko Japanese Drumming) and a Chinese dragon craft for the first 150 children.”
In addition to the performances, all registrants will receive a free T-shirt – while supplies last – and reading prizes will be split into separate categories for children, teens and adults. Teens and adults are eligible to receive prizes at the 250-minute mark and the 500-minute mark. Pre-readers and young readers are eligible to receive a prize at every 100 minutes up to 500 minutes.
“The prizes give individuals an incentive and are meant to encourage them to read and to log their minutes,” said Pamela Medolo, JBER Library director. “The minutes where children are being read to during our normally scheduled events count toward the program.”
Throughout the summer, regularly scheduled library events will continue at their established times. Story Time is every Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 to 10:30, Science Club is every Thursday from 6 to 6:30 p.m., and Paws to Read is every third Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Other program-related events and activities include:
June 20 – Special performance by Japenese Taiko Drummers and a Chinese dragon craft.
June 26 – Old-school family game night, take-home craft
July 11 – American Sign Language class, on-site craft
July 17 – Old-school family game night, take-home craft
July 25 – Summer Reading Program finale event
July 27 is the last day to enter minutes into the online database and Aug. 4 is the last day to pick up earned prizes.
“More than 1,100 individuals registered last year; our hope this year is to beat our record of 432,000 minutes read,” said Evans. “We want individuals to continue logging their minutes read even if they have surpassed the 500-minute maximum so we can accomplish that goal.”
Participants who finish as top readers in all categories will receive special prizes from the JBER Library. Additionally, those who finish as top readers – regardless of service branch affiliation – will also be submitted in an Air Force-wide drawing to receive additional prizes.
To register for the program, visit https://elmendorfrichardson.beanstack.org.
For more information on the events or program, call 384-1640 or 384-1648.